“He Threatened To Kill Me” — Filmmaker Halts Alaafin Documentary Screening

• Filmmaker Postpones Ibadan Screening Over Alaafin Threat

Award-winning cultural documentary filmmaker Ayankola Ayanwuyi has indefinitely postponed the Ibadan screening of his new film, The Throne of Alaafin Oyo.

The Executive Director of the Dundun Centre announced the decision on Tuesday via his official X handle, citing security concerns after an alleged direct threat from the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I.

“Alaafin himself threatened he would kill me and nothing will happen because I made a film promoting the throne of his forebears,” Ayanwuyi stated. “In this age and time, a Yoruba king said he would kill me and nothing will happen.”

The screening had been scheduled for April 16 in Ibadan as part of a nationwide tour of major Yoruba cities.

Ayanwuyi, an Ogbomoso-born filmmaker and UNESCO Silk Roads Fellow, had earlier written to the Alaafin’s palace to formally notify the monarch about the project. In the letter, he stressed the documentary’s respect for Oyo’s historic role in Yoruba civilisation.

The 45-minute film follows the transition from the late Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III to the current Alaafin. It examines the traditional rites, kingship processes and ancestral lineage that have defined the revered stool for centuries.

NaijaChoice News understands the production forms part of Ayanwuyi’s ongoing work through the Dundun Centre to document and preserve Yoruba cultural heritage. His previous films include titles on Egungun, Orisa Ibeji and the Olojo festival.

Last Saturday, historians, cultural advocates and Yoruba heritage enthusiasts attended a private screening and interactive session at the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History in Onikan, Lagos. The event offered fresh perspectives on the Alaafin institution, which traces its roots to Oranmiyan.

The documentary is dedicated to the memory of the late Adebayo Faleti, the renowned Yoruba poet, writer and broadcaster whose works helped keep the language and traditions alive.

As of the time of this report, the Alaafin’s palace has issued no official response to the filmmaker’s allegations.

The postponement has triggered fresh debate among observers about artistic freedom, the safety of creatives and the balance between cultural reverence and contemporary storytelling in modern Nigeria. Many see the situation as a test of how traditional institutions engage with those documenting their history.